1. Wait until it’s warm.

Just because the calendar says it’s spring doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the end of winter weather! In Alberta, our ‘spring’ weather is pretty unpredictable, and warmer days arrive more consistently closer to summer. That means you’ll have to be patient before starting your spring clean-up and lawn care.

For most lawn care jobs, waiting until the ground is thawed and dry is better. Once your grass starts getting some of its green back, you can be fairly sure the cold season is behind us. Working on a wet lawn can compact the soil and damage the grass.

Plus, essential pollinators like bees and cocooned butterflies use leaves, twigs and yard debris for cover until nighttime temperatures warm up. If you tackle spring cleanup too early, you could destroy these critters and their vital for the plants in your yard and the ecosystem.

2. Get your mower ready.

While waiting for consistent warm weather to arrive, you can prepare your lawn mower for the season. Giving your gas-powered lawnmower a little tune-up will help it run cleaner and more efficiently and prevent breakdowns. Here are things you can do:

• Change the oil and spark plug.
• Replace air filters. Check your owner’s manual for instructions.
• Sharpen or replace the blades. Dull blades can pull the grass up instead of giving it a clean cut.
• Clean off old dirt and grass. 

If you have other motorized yard tools, like a leaf blower or edge, follow the same tips above for a springtime tune-up.

3. Clear debris.

Give your lawn a light rake once the nighttime temperatures are consistently warmer and the pollinators have moved on. Remove leaves, sticks, and debris that have gathered in the winter. While you’re raking, check the condition of your grass and look for any dead or bare spots.

There’s a chance you’ll come across patches of snow mould. If you do, consider wearing a mask before gently raking it out. Snow mould releases spores, which are harmful to your health, especially if you have asthma or allergies. Loosening the grass in infected areas will help it dry out and help it grow. If you don’t want to mess with it, contact a lawn care company to take care of it.

4. Dethatch your lawn.

Thatch is a layer of organic material, mostly old and dead grass roots, that sit right on top of the soil in your lawn. A thin layer of thatch can benefit your lawn by insulating it from extreme temperatures. But thatch that is too thick is bad news. It can keep nutrients, air, and water from the soil. Dethatching your lawn should be part of your spring lawn care regime.

If you’re up for a workout, you can manually dethatch your lawn by giving it a rigorous once-over with a thatch rake. You have to put in a little elbow grease and rake deep to remove the layer of thatch.

Or you can use a motorized dethatcher! You can rent one from a home and garden centre or hire a lawn care company to do it for you.

5. Aerate your lawn.

Just like any living thing, your lawn has to breathe! Soil can get compacted, impacting airflow to the roots and limiting the circulation of water and nutrients to your lawn. It also makes it hard for soil microorganisms to move around and decompose hatch. Aerating the lawn will allow it to breathe, absorb those essential nutrients and grow healthy this summer. 

When to aerate your lawn varies depending on the type of grass and climate. Generally, around Alberta, it’s best to aerate your grass between May and June and mid-September. You can rent an aerator from a home and garden store, and they can advise on the best aerator for your lawn.

You don’t want to aerate saturated grass. So, skip watering for a few days before doing this job.

6. Fertilize your lawn.

Experts usually recommend fertilizing your yard when the grass grows and gets green again. In Alberta, this means you may be unable to fertilize your lawn until late spring or early summer, depending on that year’s weather. That’s about the time you should start watering your lawn again - unless it has been a particularly dry spring.

You have a couple of options for fertilizer. Fertilizer is typically organic, like compost, or synthetic. Both types of fertilizer provide the soil with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Labels on store-bought fertilizer will tell you the percentage of each of those nutrients. Look for a ratio of about 4 (nitrogen) –1 (phosphorus) –1 (potassium).

Be careful not to over-fertilize your lawn! It can cause fertilizer burn and kill the grass, leaving huge, ugly brown patches. It’s hard to recover from fertilizer burn. If you’re unsure, contact a professional lawn care company for the job. Alternatively, you can test your soil to see how much or little fertilizer it needs. Home-testing kits are sold at home and garden stores.

7. Overseed your lawn.

Overseeding is when you liberally spread grass seeds over certain areas of your lawn. You can also do this in the fall before the cold hits. In the spring, you might see patches of struggling or dead grass. You can spread a little extra seed in these areas to promote new growth. Don’t forget to back that seeding up with regular lawn care, including mowing, watering and fertilizing.

If your lawn struggles with weeds, spread extra seed over the entire lawn. New grass can help choke out unwanted weeds like crabgrass and dandelions.

8. Remove weeds.

There are a few ways to handle weeds in your lawn during the spring. As mentioned, overseeding can help the grass grow and choke out annoying weeds. You can manually pull out weeds if you stay on top of it. There are weeding tools that can make the job easier, but make sure you’re getting out the root, too.

If you’re not into manually pulling weeds, you can get a chemical herbicide. Here are some options:

• Pre-emergent weed killers will stop certain weed seeds from growing from the soil.
• Post-emergent weed killers are typically sprays that attack weeds that have popped out of the ground.

Before you go the chemical route, research the effects any product might have on your grass, young children, pets and the environment. Some chemical weed killers can be harmful.

Proper lawn care takes time and commitment throughout the entire season. We hope these spring lawn care tips give you the green, lush lawn you want!